True North and values to guide our work
You may have heard me talk about what I call our True North: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. The True North is our “why,” what ties our work together, and what drives us do our best each and every day. Today I am launching our eight Executive Branch values that we will use to guide our actions and decision-making, and help us achieve our True North. They are the next step in our work of building a workplace culture of respect, innovation, and performance excellence. The eight values represent what is important to us as an organization – what we believe in, what we stand… Read More
Supporting and advancing immigrant rights
Bookda Gheisar has been the Immigrant and Refugee Policy Advisor for King County in the Office of Equity and Social Justice (OESJ). This is Bookda’s last week before she transitions to take a new position at the Port of Seattle as their first Senior Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. In this article, Bookda shares some of her reflections and learnings while at the County and provides resources that are available to support King County employees as we all work towards more equitable work places and communities. In 2015, the King County Council and King County Executive formed the… Read More
DCHS employees get preview of True North and Values
Employees attending the Department of Community and Human Services’ quarterly All Staff meeting on Monday, April 15, got a sneak preview of the Executive Branch True North statement and values from Chief People Officer Whitney Abrams before they are officially launched later this year. Whitney talked about the interconnected nature and interdependence of our work, and the need to connect our work to a central vision, a True North, and the actions that will help us achieve the True North vision. “Some of the things that we’ve been hearing back as a… Read More
Training Spotlight: Team Building For Success and Introduction to Career Development
Team Building For Success, May 23: Want to showcase your strengths and make a positive impact in your organization? Your ability to participate, collaborate and resolve issues will set you apart as a “go-to” person in any organization. In this interactive course, learn skills to develop group understanding, evaluate team roles, develop methods for resolving underlying conflict within a team, and use these skills to collaborate with team members to achieve workplace objectives. Register and learn more. Introduction to Career Development, June 11: In this workshop you will learn the key elements of career… Read More
Executive Services uses All Hands to discuss values and priorities
Department of Executive Services (DES) employees got together last week to welcome new colleagues and learn more about King County’s priority initiatives at their sixth annual All-Hands Meetings. The All-Hands Meeting, held across a morning and afternoon session to facilitate as much participation as possible, was hosted at the Seattle Central Library’s auditorium in downtown Seattle. DES Director Caroline Whalen kicked off each session by welcoming members from the Fleet and Airport Divisions, who officially joined DES in January. Employees spent some time learning about some of King County Executive Dow Constantine’s… Read More
Featured Job: Medical Assistant – Eastgate Public Health
Salary: $22.40 – $28.40 Hourly Location: Bellevue, WA Job Type: Term Limited Temporary, Full Time, 40 hrs/wk Department: DPH – Public Health Job Number: 2019-09266 As the only county in the United States named after Martin Luther King Jr, one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nations’ history, King County is a vibrant community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the artistic and social traditions of many cultures. We continue to build on an enduring legacy of shared values of… Read More
DNRP employee Kelly Heintz receives prestigious land conservation award
Kelly Heintz, a Natural Lands Planner with the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, was recently honored at the annual Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust (MTSGT) Celebration Dinner as a long-time partner and advocate for public lands, conservation, and recreation in the region. The MTSGT leads and inspires action to conserve and enhance the landscape from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains to Central Washington, ensuring a long-term balance between people and nature. The Jim Ellis Spirit Award recognizes Kelly for her work as a dedicated and effective open space and… Read More
Wastewater Treatment Division unit acts on survey results to improve employee morale and workplace satisfaction
How to do you go from low morale, poor work life balance, lack of clarity in communication and no compass in the form of vision, mission and goals to a highly engaged team where members pitch in to balance workload and are focused on a simple, impactful mission? In the Wastewater Treatment Division, the Regulatory Compliance and Land Acquisition Services (RCLAS) Unit used lean tools in their engagement action plan. The results of their efforts won them recognition as a Performance Achievement Award finalist and their story provides a model to follow…. Read More
Featured Training: Lean Problem-Solving Basics and Introduction to Career Development,
Lean Problem-Solving Basics, Feb. 5: Do you feel like you tackle the same problems over and over again? In order to effectively solve problems once and for all, they must be solved at the root! Attendees will learn basic A3 Problem Solving, the powerful method borrowed from the Toyota Production System (TPS), learn techniques to incorporate problem solving and continuous improvement in daily work and build on existing Lean practices within your organization. Register and learn more. Introduction to Career Development, Feb. 5: In this workshop you will learn the key elements of career development,… Read More
Training Spotlight: How to Navigate Amidst Overwhelming Times, Lean Basics and Introduction to Career Development
How to Navigate Amidst Overwhelming Times, Dec. 11: The King County Office of Equity and Social Justice is hosting a workshop that centers on the lived experiences of native employees and employees of color. This session will pay special attention to the intersection of trauma and oppression especially that of indigenous and people of color lived experience and background. This will be a large a cross disciplinary gathering that works towards building a critical mass of those striving for sustainability. Register and learn more, use password affinitygroup. Lean Basics, Jan. 8: Have you heard about… Read More
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